The Mirror Shows Two Faces
by Pink Flamingos Are Tacky
Summary: Post Finale- AU- After Vaughn finds her in Hong Kong, Sydney returns to LA only to find that she's the one married to Vaughn. Irina and Sark are both hiding something that is crucial to Sydney's past, and Jack is being tortured by...Sydney? R/R S/V or S/S
1. Prologue

Title: The Mirror Shows Two Faces Author: UsagiPrincess Summary: Post Finale- AU- After Vaughn finds her in Hong Kong, Sydney returns to LA only to find that she's the one married to Vaughn. Sloane has kidnapped Jack for information, only to be tortured by none other than Sydney herself. Irina and Sark are both hiding secrets, secrets that Sydney needs to reclaim her past and discover what she left behind.S/V or S/S Disclaimer: Don't own them, want to own them, but don't own them. That is left to JJ Abrams, and not me. Happy? Distribution: Just ask **CM Challenge Fic, June/July**  
  
Prologue  
  
She finally woke up in a bright place, a big city with lights so bright that you'd think it was daytime. She wandered for a few minutes, trying to figure out where she was. She was in Hong Kong. As if she had finally discovered where she was, and who she was, she found a nearby pay phone. She called somebody, anybody. Anybody who could tell her what happened, and why she was there.  
  
"Dispatch," the operator said through the phone. There was a slight crackle, probably from the connection overseas.  
  
"This is officer 2300844, calling for connection. Confirmation: looking glass," she said, repeating the things that had been drilled into her head.  
  
"Standby."  
  
"This is Kendall," a new voice came over the phone.  
  
"I just woke up in Hong Kong. I.I don't know how long I've been her, or how I got here," there was silence on the other end. "Hello?"  
  
"Get to our safe house in Tsimshatsui as soon as possible.you remember how to get there?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"I'll make sure they're expecting you."  
  
"Okay."  
  
His tone was different. Sure, it was always the arrogant, bossy tone that the assistant director always used, but this time, it was different. It was.confused. Why would Kendall be confused? All she had done was checked in with the CIA, tried to let them know where she was, hoping that they'd be able to tell her what had happened to her, because she certainly didn't know.  
  
She made it, eventually, and entered the safe house. She identified herself, and a man took her to a room. The safe house appeared to be a hotel, but with the CIA, you never knew.  
  
"Have they said," she lost her voice halfway through her question and cleared her throat. "Have they said anything about how I got here? Do you know anything?  
  
"They've asked you to wait for information until your contact arrives."  
  
She nodded. She knew that they wouldn't tell her anything. She'd have to wait.  
  
So she did. She waited. She waited until finally, the door opened and Vaughn, her guardian angel walked in.  
  
She flew off the bed that she had been sitting on and hugged Vaughn. Vaughn looked confused, but she couldn't explain why he was confused for the life of her.  
  
"They doubled Francie," she said breathlessly, as if she couldn't believe it herself.  
  
"I know," his tone was neutral.  
  
"What happened to Will, to Francie? Are they dead?"  
  
"Syd, what are you talking about?" he asked. Now he really looked confused. She just couldn't explain why.  
  
"Vaughn.why are you wearing that ring?" Now she was the one who was confused.  
  
"Sydney? You don't remember?"  
  
"Remember what?"  
  
He put his head in his hands. "Syd, we went to Santa Barbara two years ago, right after you killed Francie's double, remember?"  
  
"We already went to Santa Barbara? Vaughn, what year is it?"  
  
"2005, why?"  
  
"It's 2005? Vaughn, what's happening?"  
  
"What? Syd, are you all right?"  
  
"Vaughn, the last thing that I remember was killing Francie's double. I don't remember anything after that."  
  
"Syd, you're supposed to be in France, hunting down Sloane. You left last week and didn't come back or make contact. Sydney, you worried us. Wait," he stopped in the middle of what he was saying. "You don't remember Santa Barbara? Or the wedding?"  
  
"What wedding? Vaughn.you're not married, are you?"  
  
"Sydney, we're married. We got married a year ago."  
  
"Is Will okay?"  
  
"Yes, he's fine. We found him shortly after we found you. You had fainted after killing Francie's double. We found Allison Doran's body in your apartment. It was a mess."  
  
"I know," she said slowly, as if trying to remember. "I figured out that she was a double, and she started fighting with me."  
  
"That's not what you told us, Sydney. You told us that you had figured out who the double was and."  
  
"And what?"  
  
"Never mind. It's not important right now. The important thing right now is getting you back to the CIA. Kendall's going mad. He doesn't know how you got here, Sloane just."  
  
"Sloane just what?"  
  
"Nothing. You'll find out later. All I was supposed to do was find you and find out what you were doing in Hong Kong. Come on, there's a plane waiting." "Vaughn.I." "Come on, Syd, let's just go home," he pulled her into a hug. When they pulled away, he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the plane. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
"All I know is that she doesn't know what happened, or how she wound up in Hong Kong. She doesn't even remember our wedding, for crying out loud!" Vaughn sat in a meeting with Kendall, Marshall, and Weiss.  
  
"Wow, man," Weiss said, "I knew she loves you, but not to the point where she'd lose her mind."  
  
"Agent Weiss," Kendall said warningly.  
  
"Eric.not funny," Vaughn said seriously. "She does know who she is. Well, she does, but she still thinks it's 2003."  
  
"Agent Vaughn, explain," said Kendall.  
  
"I got her home last night, and I had to explain everything that's happened over the last two years. She's also got a scar on her stomach."  
  
"From what?" asked Weiss.  
  
"If we knew, she would have known as well, and we wouldn't be having this conversation," said Kendall.  
  
"Where's Jack?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"He hasn't checked in since Thursday night. We haven't heard from him in three days. He was in Paris where Sydney was supposed to be. He's gone missing."  
  
"Wait," Marshall interrupted. "Sydney doesn't remember anything. What if this was all supposed to happen? What if Sloane isn't the one in the Rambaldi prophecy? What if it's Sydney, and this was all prophesied?"  
  
"We've decoded Rambaldi's manuscript before," said Kendall. "We didn't find anything about Sydney in there anywhere."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"So wait, she doesn't remember anything?" asked Weiss.  
  
"No," said Vaughn confidently. "She believes that it's 2003, and we still haven't taken our vacation in Santa Barbara yet. The last thing that she remembers is killing Allison Doran."  
  
"We could try regression therapy," suggested Marshall. "We may be able to uncover what she lost, and even figure out what the scar is from."  
  
"What does it look like?" asked Kendall.  
  
"It's too small to be a cesarean section scar," said Vaughn.  
  
"Are you sure? It could have faded and shrunk over the two years," said Weiss.  
  
"It looks like a stab wound. It's on her stomach, over towards the right side," said Vaughn.  
  
"Appendicitis?" asked Marshall. "She could have had her appendix removed."  
  
"Isn't she a little old for appendicitis?" asked Weiss.  
  
"It's possible, but it's more than likely a stab wound," said Kendall.  
  
"I'll call her," Vaughn said, getting out his cell phone. "I'll have her come in again. She'll consent to the regression therapy and we'll have it all figured out eventually. What I want to know is what exactly happened to her in Paris, if she doesn't even remember our wedding, the most important day of our lives."  
  
He dialed the number and she picked up, sounding a little sleepy. "Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Did I wake you?" he asked.  
  
"No," her tone immediately softened. "I was already awake."  
  
"You're sure?" He headed out the door and into the hall.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Syd, they want you to do regression therapy. They think that it'll help bring back your memory. They just need your consent to do it."  
  
"I figured that they'd want to do it," she said with a half chuckle.  
  
"Will you sign the form?"  
  
"I guess. Hey, where's my dad? I haven't even gotten a phone call from him."  
  
"Syd.they.we haven't heard from him. He was with you in Paris."  
  
"Vaughn, I thought we'd been over this. I may not remember much, but I know for a fact that I was never in Paris with my father."  
  
"Okay, well, he was supposedly with you in Paris. He's gone missing."  
  
"No." She went silent on the other line.  
  
"Sydney?"  
  
"When do you need me in?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
"As soon as you can get here."  
  
"Okay. I'll be there."  
  
"Stay safe."  
  
"I will."  
  
He hung up with her and reported to Kendall that she'd be there. Maybe now they'd be able to bring back her memory and get a lead on something.  
  
***  
  
In an abandoned warehouse in France, Jack Bristow slowly regained consciousness. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light, and the shadowed figure standing in front of him.  
  
"Sydney?" he mumbled upon seeing his daughter standing in front of him.  
  
A shorter man walked in and stood next to her.  
  
"Arvin," Jack said coldly, regaining his voice and adjusting to the surroundings.  
  
"Jack. I told you before that we'd be seeing you again," Sloane said, with a warm tone as if they were still the best of friends.  
  
"Sydney, what are you doing?" he asked, as he registered the fact that his daughter was standing next to Sloane. He tried to pull free from the chair, but discovered that he was handcuffed to it.  
  
"You'll find out in due time, Jack," she said, before leaving with Sloane. As soon as they were down the hall, her voice easily slipped into a Russian accent that could easily rival her mother's. "Sydney's returned," she said to Sloane.  
  
"How? How did she get away?" he asked.  
  
"We're not sure. She was drugged. She was spotted a few days ago in Hong Kong, where Agent Vaughn retrieved her."  
  
"How much does she know?"  
  
"I intercepted a phone conversation between Agent Vaughn and Director Kendall. Apparently, she thinks that it's 2003 and she and Vaughn are going to Santa Barbara. She only remembers that she killed our asset. I have no doubt in my mind that she will be undergoing regression therapy, and they will manage to discover some of the things that she's done over the last two years."  
  
"What about Sark?"  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Is he in position?"  
  
"Yes. Sark is in position. He's waiting for our signal."  
  
"Give it. Tell Sark to move in." 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Two weeks later, they still hadn't heard from Jack. Sydney's regression therapy was progressing quickly, and they assumed that she'd be regaining all of her memories shortly. They had managed to catch Sark in a club in Guatemala, paying off a man for blueprints to a warehouse; more than likely Sloane's next destination.  
  
"Are you sure that you're ready to do this?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"I'm ready. I'll be fine. Just leave me here," she smiled. "It's just Sark. Don't worry."  
  
"I'm worried."  
  
"I'll be fine," she reassured him and kissed him quickly as the gates opened. After two years, they still hadn't managed the fix the clanging sound that the gates made. It was one thing that brought back memories, memories of before her life had been taken from her. The time when she still had control over her life, like most people did.  
  
She stopped in front of the cell that seemed to have held more people than necessary: Irina, Will, and now Sark. He sat on the cot, cross-legged with his eyes closed. The familiar position that she had seen Irina sit in more than once. He opened one of his eyes, looked at her, and sighed, opening them both. You could get lost in his eyes, she found herself thinking, but she shook her head. Syd, you're married- or at least you are, supposedly, even though you don't remember. Of all the memories that she had regained, her wedding and Santa Barbara were not among them.  
  
He stood up and moved in front of the glass, facing Sydney.  
  
"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Sydney," he said.  
  
"Let's get one thing clear here, Sark," she said in the same icy voice that she had both heard her mother use and used herself with her mother, "I am the agent here. I am the one asking the questions. You are the prisoner here. You have no rights. You will answer my questions, and only my questions. Is that clear?  
  
"Crystal," he said in the same bored, sarcastic tone that he usually used.  
  
"Where is the warehouse that you were retrieving the blueprints for?"  
  
"Sydney," he said, interrupting her next train of thought. "Do you remember anything about these last two years?"  
  
"Agent Bristow, Mr. Sark."  
  
"Agent Bristow then. Do you remember anything?" he repeated.  
  
She ignored him. "Answer my question, and then maybe, just maybe, I'll answer yours."  
  
He shook his head, looking as if he was trying to clear it. "You don't remember. I know you don't. After the accident."  
  
Her eyes widened. Accident? No! A voice screamed in her head. He's just baiting you. His motive is probably the same as your mother's was all those years ago. Don't listen to him!  
  
"What are they for?" she asked again.  
  
"If I tell you, you have to answer one of my questions."  
  
What harm could it cause? She asked herself. More than you think, came the mental reply.  
  
"Fine," she said irritably. "What are they for?"  
  
"A warehouse in Reykjavik."  
  
"What does Sloane want with a warehouse in Iceland?"  
  
"You said one question, Agent Bristow. Now it's my turn."  
  
She sighed. "All right. Go ahead."  
  
"What do you remember from these last two years?"  
  
"On my own, or from the regression therapy?"  
  
"Both."  
  
She sighed again. "The first time that I went through the therapy, I went into some memory about someone who was almost a double of me," she looked at his face, searching it for emotion. "I was watching it, like a movie, but I was in a hospital bed, sort of, and I was also with Sloane, at the same time, telling him that the woman in the bed had been drugged. Then I pulled out after they started talking."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"One question, Mr. Sark."  
  
He nodded. She searched his eyes for some type of emotion. She found sadness in his clear, blue eyes.  
  
"Sydney?" he asked as she turned to leave, all sarcasm gone.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
You were right- you were doubled," he said quietly. "They doubled you."  
  
***  
  
"Has he told you anything else?" Sloane asked.  
  
"No," replied Sydney  
  
"Then we'll move in with Phase Two," he said. "You'll break Jack out and pose as his daughter. You'll get ready to supposedly split for your rides home when we will intercept you and pull Jack back in. we will then torture his daughter and get him to tell us what he really knows."  
  
She nodded." So I will be posing as his daughter again?"  
  
"Yes. Jack Bristow is lying. He has to be. He has the best poker face that I've ever seen. There's no other logical explanation as to why he surrendered to us so quickly."  
  
"What about Sark?"  
  
"We'll have him extracted in two days. That should be more than enough time for him to carry out his mission." 


	4. Chapter Three

Author's Notes: Okay, since my once-loyal beta reader (who will probably be reading this and hopefully get the hint) hasn't replied to my emails in over a week, this chapter hasn't been beta read. Also, I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter.*sob* although I'm pretty sure that it wasn't seen since Fanfiction.net didn't update until after there were twenty fics in front of mine.  
  
So in conclusion to this little rant, please review- it makes me write faster and it makes me feel good too. You never know, if I get a lot of reviews, I might even get this up tomorrow (  
  
Thanks and on with the story!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Sark sat thinking in his cell as Agent Vaughn stormed in. Oh goody, he thought. Who should I thank for the surprise visit from Agent Pretty?  
  
"What did you tell Sydney?" he demanded angrily.  
  
Sark looked at him. He could have sworn that he saw smoke coming out of Vaughn's ears. He was in no mood for games. He decided on the easiest option- the truth.  
  
"I told her the truth," he said simply.  
  
"The truth?" it sounded like Vaughn was mocking him. "You told her the truth?" He thought a moment. "What exactly is the truth, Mr. Sark?"  
  
"That she was doubled. In the six months that the CIA looked for her, she was doubled."  
  
"Who is the double?"  
  
"I'll tell you what I told Ms. Bristow, Mr. Vaughn. I will answer one of your questions, but in return, you have to answer one of mine. It's very simple, really."  
  
"Fine," said Vaughn as irritably as Sydney had sounded, "I'll answer one of yours. Why was Sydney doubled?"  
  
"Sloane still halfway believes that it is Irina in the prophecy and is the one that can bring forth the destruction. Sydney is the one- not Irina, and Irina knows it. She convinced Sloane to bring Sydney to her, and in return, he'd have another gofer, so everyone would be happy- Sloane would get what he wanted done and Irina would get to see her daughter, so everyone's happy right?" he asked in his sarcastic tone. "But there's one little problem," he slipped back into a serious tone. "Sloane discovered another Rambaldi device- one that can be used to pick one's memory. He tested it on Sydney, and unfortunately, it was successful. He also drugged her so that she couldn't escape and relay what she knew to the CIA, which is more than likely where she'd go."  
  
"Fine," said Vaughn sullenly. "Your turn."  
  
Sark thought hard. He didn't want to waste his one question from Vaughn. "Mr. Vaughn," he began. "What does Jack Bristow know about the prophecy?"  
  
"As much as the directors and myself. Why?"  
  
"Then I sure hope his training in torture is as good as Sydney's was. He's going to need it." With that, Sark turned back to his cell.  
  
What? Thought Vaughn as he went back upstairs. It dawned on him what Sark's message was, and he began to run.  
  
***  
  
"Sloane has Jack," he breathed out as he made it to medical services where Kendall and Sydney were.  
  
"What?" Kendall faced Vaughn.  
  
"If I interpreted Sark correctly, Jack will be tortured for information on the prophecy."  
  
"Sark said that?"  
  
"It had hidden meanings, but what did Sydney tell you?"  
  
"She told me that Sark had said that she'd been doubled. A load of shit, if you ask me."  
  
"He wasn't lying," Vaughn said quietly. "He told me the same thing-and how they did it too. The six months that she was missing and then returned.all Sloane."  
  
"Six months that I was missing?" Sydney piped up from the bed. They had forgotten that she was there.  
  
"Syd," Vaughn started.  
  
"Ms. Bristow," Kendall began. "After you killed Ms. Doren, you fainted and Agent Vaughn found you. After we had determined that you would be safe alone at a hotel while your apartment was being cleaned, you disappeared into nowhere. There was no ransom note, no clues. You were missing for six months. We searched and finally located you in an alleyway in Italy, thanks to a tip-off from Sark, which was confirmed by our triple agent- your mother. As we've now found out, you were gone for another eighteen months. When you called from Hong Kong, you were supposed to be in Paris, and when you turned up in Hong Kong, without your father, we panicked."  
  
"And now Sloane has him," Sydney finished dully.  
  
"Syd, we'll get him back," Vaughn sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "I love you," he murmured into her hair.  
  
She nodded and closed her eyes peacefully as Kendall left the room.  
  
***  
  
"Prepare phase two," Sloane said into a cell phone.  
  
"It's done," a Russian voice crackled back. "Shall I extract Sark?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
***  
  
"Director Kendall!" an agent flew towards the bald man.  
  
"What?" he snapped.  
  
"It's Sark.he's been removed from the cell. Footage shows this," he played the fuzzy feed of a laser melting through the solitary window of Sark's cell and Irina Derevko's head pushing through it. 


	5. Chapter Four

Authors Notes: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's stayed with me this far. I also wanted to tell the Syd/Sark fans not to worry, Sark is going to magically reappear in a few chapters, and he's going to send everything back into the chaos that I like to write in my Fanfiction. Umm.what else.I also want to test out an idea that I got from a very talented writer, IMJinnie, and since my fic isn't as well reviewed as hers is, I'm going to say either five reviews, or two days, whichever comes first.  
  
I'm also going to say that since this is a CM challenge fic, there has to be a sequel, so instead of posting it separately, I'm going to enclose it later as a 'Part Two' so to speak. Enjoy, and I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. I couldn't think of anything to add to make it longer.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
It was an ordinary day for Agent Michael Vaughn as he was stuck in the usual LA traffic on his way to the Joint Task Force. His cell phone rang at exactly 7:30 on the dot- when is wife called him, as usual, every morning.  
  
Of course, he reminded himself, That was before you knew that your wife wasn't Sydney Bristow.  
  
"Vaughn," he answered the annoying ringing object.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn," the voice on the other end said. He didn't need to ask who it was. It was his father's killer.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked angrily.  
  
"You've discovered the truth, I see," she said simply.  
  
"How could you sit through my wedding, knowing that I wasn't marrying your daughter? How could you let us look for her for six months, find her again, and not tell us? When Kendall finds out, you'll be back in that cell where Sark was, not to mention the fact that you broke him out!"  
  
"Agent Vaughn," she said calmly, "You seem to forget that I am a triple agent. I had to report back to Sloane what the wedding was like and break Sark out for Sloane. His loyalties are flexible."  
  
"In what sense?"  
  
"In the sense that Sark works for me. He never worked for Sloane and he never will. He's always been loyal to me. I'll be seeing you soon, Michael," she hung up. Just as she had, his cell phone rang again.  
  
"Vaughn," he answered.  
  
"Vaughn.Michael? It's me," it was Sydney.  
  
"Hey, hon," he said warmly.  
  
"Vaughn, my mother just called. She.she confirmed what Sark said."  
  
"Syd."  
  
"Vaughn, we're not married. She sat through and let you get married to another woman. She."  
  
"Sydney, stay put. I'm coming home."  
  
"No, Vaughn, you don't have to do that. I'm fine."  
  
"Syd, you're a CIA agent and a wonderful actress, but I'm coming home."  
  
"Vaughn.you'll be late. Kendall will."  
  
"Screw Kendall. Remember protocol?"  
  
"Yes," he knew that she was smiling on the other end.  
  
"I'll be home in twenty minutes. Don't go anywhere."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it."  
  
"Love you."  
  
"Love you too."  
  
Nope, he thought as he got off the freeway and turned around. It definitely wasn't a usual day anymore.  
  
***  
  
"Agent Bristow," began Kendall, "now that you've been back for three weeks, do you feel that you could lead an op with Agent Vaughn?"  
  
She looked at Vaughn before giving her answer and smiling. "Yes.so where are we off to?" "Slovenia. Agent Bristow.welcome back. Marshall will hook you up with your gear when you're ready. Your flight leaves in three hours. Debrief is in a half hour." 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
"Mountaineer, we detect two guards in the room ahead. Go through the door on the left and the room that your father is in will be the third on the left," Weiss said from the van, using the same call sign that they had used before she had disappeared.  
  
"Mountaineer?" she asked. "Shouldn't Kendall have changed it, after the double?"  
  
"Nah," said Vaughn, "we changed it after you disappeared the first time. We're just too lazy to think up new call signs."  
  
"Whatever, Boy Scout," she said with a grin. "I'm going in," she said as she took down the guards. "Going down the hall."  
  
"Gotcha, Mountaineer," said Weiss.  
  
"Red team standing by," Vaughn confirmed.  
  
"Blue team standing by," Dixon said from a van around the corner.  
  
"Dixon?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Hey Syd," he said. "Glad you're back."  
  
"Me too," she said. "I'm outside the door. How many people am I up against?" she asked.  
  
"Syd, this is going to be odd, but according to surveillance, you were just seen running down the hall, right into the tactical team," said Weiss.  
  
"The double," she muttered. "Which way?"  
  
"Your father is doubling back, Syd." Dixon tried to tell her, but he was cut off and she was left with nothing but static.  
  
"Weiss? Dixon? Vaughn?" she asked frantically.  
  
"Sydney!" her father called from down the hall. Gunshots sounded and Sydney pulled Jack around the corner with her.  
  
"Sydney, why did you double back?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked as she returned fire.  
  
"You said that there was a tactical team out front to take us back to LA. You told me that Vaughn and Weiss were all right."  
  
"Dad," she said quickly, "I was doubled. I just got here. I've been missing for two years, since I killed A.G. Doren. Vaughn married my double. The person that was found in Italy eighteen months ago wasn't me. Mom knew too, there isn't enough time to explain," she said as she fired off a few more shots.  
  
The shots suddenly stopped. "Dad?" she asked. She turned around. "Dad?" she repeated. He wasn't there, and instead, she faced Arvin Sloane.  
  
"This wasn't the plan," he said angrily. "You killed five guards and shot back. You didn't take the path that would lead you to the tactical team," he motioned to Jack behind him. "Although, the mission wasn't a total loss," he added.  
  
What was he talking about? Sydney asked herself. She decided to play along, save both her and her father's life. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "When I hacked the comm, I got wind of Sydney Bristow's code name. I thought that the CIA was trying to raid the place. You never know who's who," she said, hoping he'd take the answer.  
  
"It's all right," he said. "Come with me for a second." He led her to the room that Weiss had said that Jack would be in. Sloane handcuffed Jack back to the piping as he struggled angrily against it.  
  
"Sit," Sloane offered her a chair. She thought about it for a moment and took the chair. As she did, one of Sloane's guards put her into a headlock and the other pulled her arms behind her shoulder, pushing one of her shoulders up like he was going to dislocate it.  
  
"Welcome back, Agent Bristow," he sneered. "You may have escaped once, but I assure you, it won't happen again." 


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
"What were you doing here?" the double asked, twisting Sydney's wrist violently to the right. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out. The double twisted her wrist harder, just enough to keep it from breaking. "What are you doing here, Sydney?" the double sneered.  
  
Sydney bit down harder on her lip and tasted blood.  
  
"I'll be back, Agent Bristow. I'd strongly reconsider my decision to not talk, because your wrist just might break if I twist it again," she closed the door and Sydney and Jack were plunged into darkness.  
  
"Sydney?" she heard her father ask from the darkness.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah. Hold on." She bit down on her lip again as she moved her left wrist, her bad wrist; to push the button on the watch that Marshall had told her to push.  
  
***  
  
Flashback  
  
"Okay, see this watch? It's an ordinary watch, really, but with one little additional perk: it's got a videophone in it. Now I know you're thinking "Marshall, how did you get a phone in my watch?" but it's really not a phone, or sort of.well.uh.basically, what you do is push this button on the side and it has a two way link with the other one. See?" he held up a watch identical to Sydney's. "Now Agent Vaughn is going to have this one, so all you have to do is push the button, and presto! You'll be on with him. Try it!"  
  
Sydney pushed the button and Marshall's face appeared on the screen. "It works," she said, amused."  
  
"Of course it works. It's a Marshall gadget. Did you ever have any doubt?"  
  
***  
  
"Syd?" she heard Vaughn ask into the darkness.  
  
"Vaughn, I'm here. Listen, if I come back to the CIA, kill me."  
  
"Sydney, what's wrong? Why is it dark?"  
  
"I'm locked in the room with my father. He doubled back and Sloane caught us." Her watch started beeping.  
  
"Syd, what's that?"  
  
"The battery's probably low. Vaughn, just do it."  
  
"I will, Syd," he said before they were cut off.  
  
Sydney and Jack drifted into silence even though so many questions were racing through Jack's brain. Where was she? Why did she double back? Why was she doubled?  
  
"You shouldn't have come back," she said quietly, almost as if she had read his mind.  
  
"You went back for something. Sydney, I had to follow."  
  
"Sloane knew you would. This whole thing was probably a setup. I was never here. The CIA sent us in to find you." She leaned back and closed her eyes. She finally let go and let herself drift off.  
  
***  
  
"We have to go in," Vaughn pleaded. "Now Sydney and Jack are both in danger. We have to send a tactical team in."  
  
"Agent Vaughn, we did that once for Jack and it failed. We can't risk losing any more agents, even for the sake of your father-in-law and your wife. At least we know that they're safe for now. I'm sorry," Kendall walked away and Vaughn didn't even bother to correct him.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn," someone came up behind him.  
  
"Irina," he said coldly.  
  
"I can help you find my husband and daughter. I have a private jet waiting. Do as I say," she said as they left the Joint Task Force.  
  
***  
  
"Have you decided to talk?" asked the double. Sloane was with her. The double began to wrench Sydney's arm upwards and Sydney bit down again on her lip.  
  
"Any second now," muttered the double. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and the double dropped Sydney's arm.  
  
"Freeze!" Vaughn's voice rang out and Sydney's heart soared. Sloane and the double each took one look at Vaughn and his team and shot out the glass in the small window. A chopper was on the other side.  
  
Sark pushed the chopper door open and allowed Sydney's double and Sloane to climb in. Sloane smirked before taking off and closing the door. Sark may still have been partially loyal to Sloane, but he eagerly awaited the day that Irina gave him permission to put the chopper on autopilot and allow it to crash into a building, with Sloane still inside.  
  
***  
  
"How did you find me?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Your mother offered to defy Kendall," he said as they walked around the hotel. Vaughn had arranged for Sydney, Jack, and Irina, along with himself, to stay in a hotel in Slovenia overnight. Jack and Irina were in one of the rooms upstairs.  
  
"Want to head back?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"Sure," said Sydney as they entered the glass elevator and allowed themselves to be transported away from the bright lobby.  
  
Vaughn inserted his key into their lock and pushed open the door. They walked in and saw Jack and Irina on the couch with the TV on. Sydney walked around to the front of the couch, since her parents didn't appear to have heard them come in and stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
"Mom? Dad?" she asked with a grin. Vaughn chuckled. They had just intruded on her parents kissing.  
  
"Hey, honey," Irina said as they jumped apart.  
  
"Is there something that you want to tell me?" she asked.  
  
"No. Why?" asked Jack.  
  
"I'm tired," said Irina, yawning and stretching. "I'm going to bed," she stood up and quickly left.  
  
"Me too," said Jack, following her out the door.  
  
Vaughn smiled as he took Sydney into a passionate embrace. "Somehow," he murmured into her hair, "I don't think that the third hotel room is ever going to get used."  
  
"Me either," smiled Sydney as she leaned up and kissed Vaughn. "Me either." 


End file.
